KUALA LUMPUR – National badminton women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah opened their Japan Open campaign in superb style by edging South Korea’s Lee So-hee-Shin Seung-chan, the world No. 2 pair, in a match that went the distance at the Maruzen Intec Arena in Osaka, Japan.
Pearly-Thinaah, who lost to Japan’s fifth seeds in the third round of the BWF World Championships in Tokyo, last week, beat the South Koreans 16-21, 21-14 and 21-18 in three games.
The Commonwealth Games gold-medal-winning pair, ranked 11th in the world now, moved into the second round of the competition with the win.
Another Malaysian pair, Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien, also moved into the second round after beating Germany’s Linda Efler-Isabel Lohau 21-17, 23-21.
In the mixed doubles, Cheng Tang Jie-Peck Yen Wei lost to Hoo Pang Ron-Toh Ee Wei 21-23, 24-22 and 21-17 in an all Malaysian encounter.
Two other pairs were also shown the exit in the men’s doubles and women’s doubles competition when Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani lost their men’s doubles match to Muhammad Shohibul-Bagas Maulana 17-21, 21-18, 19-21 in three games while Anna Ching Yik Cheong-Teoh Mei Xing were beaten by China’s Liu Xuan Xuan-Xia Yu Ting 21-9, 21-14 in the women’s doubles. – Bernama, August 30, 2022
